Taxpayers in Gujarat Struggle with ITR Portal Glitches as Deadline Nears

Ahmedabad, Gujarat; September 14, 2025

As the September 15 deadline for filing Income Tax Returns (ITR) for the fiscal year 2024-25 approaches, a growing number of taxpayers in Gujarat are facing serious technical failures on the ITR filing portal. Users, including tax professionals, report that critical documents such as the Annual Information Statement (AIS) are inaccessible, causing delays in completing accurate returns. The glitches are not minor: many find the portal unresponsive just when they need to upload or verify information, invoice details are not appearing correctly, and sometimes error messages block progress. The problems have persisted for several days, compounding stress as the deadline looms. Some taxpayers say they’ve already lost multiple hours trying to resolve errors, while others fear penalties if they cannot submit on time. These issues are particularly acute for small taxpayers or those less familiar with digital filing processes. They often rely on accountants or third-party services, and the delays in accessing AIS or other data affect their ability to verify income sources, deductions, or tax credits. Unclear or missing information may result in incorrect returns or needing later corrections. The Gujarat Chamber of Commerce & Industry (GCCI) has formally urged the Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) to recognize the problem and consider extending the filing deadline, citing loss of productive time due to portal downtime. Experts warn that unless immediate technical fixes are deployed, there may be widespread non-compliance, unintended penalties, or submission of inaccurate returns out of pressure. In response, CBDT has not yet formally announced a deadline extension. Some portal technical support teams are reportedly working on patches, but users say the fixes are piecemeal and have not restored full portal functionality. The implication is that last-minute rush and underprepared systems could lead to chaos in submission and assessment. The problem reflects a wider issue: the dependence of many compliance tasks on digital systems that are not always robust or ready for heavy load, especially near deadlines. As more financial and legal obligations shift online, such glitches risk not just individual inconvenience but loss of public trust in the digital tax infrastructure.